Anti PETA Ad Airs in Duluth

Duluth, MN — Finally! Media exposure that the self-described “complete press sluts” at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) won’t consider a public victory. Next week, as Minnesota residents are subjected to PETA’s misleading anti-meat television commercial, a competing advertisement will also hit the airwaves. Launched by the Center for Consumer Freedom, it uncovers PETA’s darker side, including the group’s documented connections to arson and domestic terrorism.

Research into PETA’s IRS filings shows that the group has funneled over $150,000 of its tax-exempt money to criminals affiliated with the terrorist Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and Earth Liberation Front (ELF). PETA’s shameful history includes a $1,500 check written directly to the ELF, and a $70,400 gift to convicted arsonist Rodney Coronado, who spent 57 months in federal prison for firebombing a Michigan State University research lab.

ALF and ELF crimes have become so rampant that the FBI has labeled the groups a “serious domestic terror threat,” and has been forced to devote precious counter-terrorism resources to their investigation.

The Center for Consumer Freedom’s anti-PETA ad, airing all next week in the Duluth market, features an actual audio recording of PETA campaign director Bruce Friedrich. At a 2001 convention, Friedrich told animal-rights activists that “blowing stuff up and smashing windows” is “a great way to bring about animal liberation.” Friedrich continued:

“I think it would be great if all of the fast-food outlets, slaughterhouses, these laboratories, and the banks that fund them exploded tomorrow. I think it’s perfectly appropriate for people to take bricks and toss them through the windows, and everything else along the line. Hallelujah to the people who are willing to do it.”

The ad closes with a tag line — “PETA: As Warm And Cuddly As You Thought?” — and directs viewers to the Center for Consumer Freedom’s website, where they can sign an online petition to ask the IRS to revoke PETA’s federal tax exemption. Over 13,000 consumers signed the petition in its first 10 days.